It is impossible to fully imagine the cultural heritage without oral folk art. Legends and fairy tales passed literally from mouth to mouth were overgrown with new details and details, and this thread could be interrupted at any moment. Thanks to writing, we were able to preserve these most interesting examples of creativity, among which all sorts of sayings, sayings on various topics, proverbs about God, life and various aspects of everyday life occupy a special place. If we analyze these laconic statements, then we can, with a fairly high accuracy, draw up a collective portrait of a simple person of the old times.
Reflection of religion in folk wisdom
It would be a mistake to assume that before the advent of Christianity in Russia there were no significant beliefs, although after the mass adoption of the Orthodox faith, the very word "god" began to automatically designate a certain mystical person. To some extent, this is consistent with the Bible, where it is literally written "Thou sh alt have no other gods." But at the same time, a simple folk deity, even in this case, is somewhat different from the canonical strict Father.
A slightly familiar attitude of the people, perhaps, came from pagan times, when a suitable idol was hewn out of the first log that came across, and if he was guilty of something, did not send rain or did not help in the hunt, then you could easily get yourself a new one. The proverb “God saves the safe” perfectly illustrates a sober attitude towards religion. Indeed, faith is wonderful, but if you sit still and do nothing but earnest prayers, then it is unlikely that anything good will come of it.
Proverbs against the Bible
The very structure of all kinds of sayings that mention God, surprisingly contradicts the well-known place from the Holy Scriptures, where it is directly forbidden to mention the name of the Lord in vain. What is it about and what is this mysterious "in vain"? It means "in vanity", that is, in vain. If worldly life with its worries and passions was considered vain, then the proverbs about God, with which Russian culture is literally strewn, come into conflict with this religious postulate. Is there any way to justify this?
From an atheist's point of view, the words "god" or "lord" are more a job designation than a name. Similarly, you can say "boss" or "master". However, deeply religious people may have objections. Why, then, did the people, who are usually called "God-bearers", so frivolously createdall sorts of proverbs mentioning him?
Contradiction between church and faith
The split between the official church and the faith can be evidenced by many sayings that ridiculed the clergy. The image of a fat and stupid priest wanders around fairy tales and fables for a reason. Why is this happening? We have to admit that people are imperfect, including the clergy, and only priests who have fallen into the sin of pride can object violently to this.
Perhaps this is part of the explanation for somewhat familiar and frivolous sayings, such as "God save you far and wide" - an ironic phrase that is usually reported about a whole complex of small unfortunate coincidences. On the other hand, the proverb “he who gets up early, God gives him” indicates that an active lifestyle will certainly turn into success, and even the universe itself will certainly contribute to this.
Mental he alth logic
Many wise sayings directly warn against falling into excessive mysticism. You may have heard of people who have become so engrossed in religion that they have ceased to care for their loved ones, brought families to poverty, and children to starvation. In everything, a measure is good, and the proverb “hope in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself” clearly indicates that good things do not fall from the sky if a person does nothing for his own well-being.
If the priests called for renouncing the worldly completely, normal human logic immediately fought back, creating balancing sayings. Everyonethere is a saying about a fool who was forced to pray - the result was a broken forehead. Folk proverbs about God, like an instrument of reasonable moderation, somewhat corrected the excess mystical ardor.
Derisive folklore
From the point of view of the average clergyman, relying solely on dogma, folk sayings can be declared sacrilege. Should people be blamed for this? Calling on a higher power in everyday life, it is unlikely that anyone sets themselves the goal of offending faith, and when they say that “God is not Timoshka, he sees a little”, then this is rather a rhymed and veiled proposal to think about your actions.
The same mechanisms that are now responsible for creating popular memes took part in the formation of sayings. In fact, these are phenomena of the same order: a short and capacious information unit that carries a certain message. Therefore, the meaning of the proverb “God protects the safe” can be traced without additional explanation - take care of yourself, and then nothing will happen to you. Of course, troubles happen to extremely cautious people, but it is no longer their fault.
Shortened prayers
An equally interesting variant of the appearance of religious proverbs is a kind of attempt by ordinary people to somewhat shorten and humanize the canonical prayer texts. The proverb "God willing" in this sense is very revealing and interesting. On the one hand, it implies that circumstances will turn out well and that's it.will go as intended. On the other hand, calling on the Almighty to pay attention to the conceived business, we, as it were, give the plan under his protection.
But the proverb "God will give" means literally the refusal of any participation in other people's plans. Most often, this was a response to requests for some kind of material favor that they were not going to fulfill.
Coordination of proverbs and faith
Don't think that sayings are necessarily opposed to religion. Rather, they bring it closer to the common man, making it understandable and native. Therefore, "grabbing god by the beard" is not a criminal disrespect, but rather an emotional expression of the degree of luck. All these proverbs do not contradict each other, but mutually complement the picture of beliefs, linking them with real life.
Jesus once said: "Build a temple in your heart." What did he mean? You can regard this as a literal wish not to build capital buildings for churches, because then there is a promise not to leave stone unturned, but most likely, we are talking about inert, clumsy dogmas. Faith must be flexible and sincere, and this is perfectly illustrated by proverbs about God - well-aimed, biting, sometimes a little familiar. In them, the Almighty appears not as some kind of mystical punisher, but as a real helper and patron who understands the needs of ordinary people. It is easy and pleasant to believe in such a God with all your heart, turning towards the light and dragging others with you.
